Fritz & Chesster Volume 1: A Rodent's Perspective
by MM-CB
Summary: The chess "adventure" Fritz & Chesster, as seen from Chesster the rat's point of view.


**Fritz & Chesster: A Rodent's Perspective**

**Rating: **K

**Disclaimer: **I make no oney with this fic, etc.

**A/N:** Fritz & Chesster is a computer game you can "Learn to play chess" with (as stated in the subtitle). The game is set in a world ruled by many different kings - think Game of Thrones, but child-friendly ;-) One of them, King White, is feeling bored and frustrated with his job, so his wife suggests he go on a short vacation. King White is reluctant at first, but eventually agrees to the idea. Leaving their son, Prince Fritz, and his cousin Bianca in charge of the white castle, the royal couple depart for their holiday.

They are barely gone when mean King Black challenges Fritz to a chess duel in the big arena. Unfortunately Fritz doesn't know how to play chess, but that's about to change. Friendly neighbour King Kaleidoscope teaches Fritz and Bianca some basic rules of the game and accompanies them to the IntelliGym, a sort of training camp for chess players. There the kids meet Chesster, a rat who lives in the Gym and over time has become very good at chess himself. Chesster agrees to train Fritz and Bianca, preparing them for their duel against King Black.

* * *

Saturday morning, IntelliGym

Yes, human girl, I'm a rat. There's no need to look at me like that! What are those two doing here, anyway? Age is sometimes hard to tell in humans, but these two most definitely look too young to be anywhere near this Gym and the neighbouring arena.

...

Well they wouldn't go here voluntarily, but King Black has challenged young Fritz to an arena duel. That guy really knows no limits, challenging a kid to a chess duel! Oh well, he'll probably regret it when I'm done training said kid.

Some time later

Fritz and Bianca are actually not doing too bad at chess. In Fritz' case, this likely runs in the family, his grandfather was a very good chess player - the last person who checkmated King Black in the arena. As for Bianca, she still has to learn to think first, then move her pieces instead of the other way around. For some reason, she also can't remember vocabulary like en passant or opposition (or deliberately pronounces the words wrong to annoy me?). But we'll get there. Like I said, these two kids aren't doing too bad for beginner chess players.

* * *

Saturday, noon

We're done with the Lightweight exercises and take a break outside the Gym before hitting the Middleweight ones. I tell Fritz and Bianca about my duel against King Black here at the IntelliGym and about chess etiquette: before and after a game, you shake hands with your opponent to show that it's only a game, not a life-or-death fight... well unless your name is King Black and you start collecting mouse traps after getting checkmated by a rat (yours truly).

* * *

Saturday, afternoon

Bianca still makes some mistakes by not thinking before moving a piece, but the good news is that she makes every mistake just once. For example, the first time we did the two rook mate exercise, I was able to capture one of her rooks with my king. After that, Bianca would always move her rooks to safety if needed and had no trouble delivering checkmate with them.

Meanwhile, Fritz' problem is that he thinks and worries _too much_. Like a few minutes ago, when he asked me if King Black was a good chess player. He's clever, but not invincible, I replied. Just look at your grandpa - or me. The boy didn't look entirely convinced, which is why it's a good thing that he and Bianca will be playing as a team tonight. If some of Bianca's confidence rubs off on Fritz and he, in turn, makes her slow down and think a little, King Black and the audience in the arena may just be in for a surprise.

* * *

Saturday evening , chess arena

They told me the arena was completely sold out, however I soon discovered there are just no seats left. And a seat would have been of no use for me anyway, given that I'm way too small to look over several rows of humans. Therefore I'm now sitting on the balustrade in front of King Red and King Kaleidoscope's seats. Those two used to train at the IntelliGym, too - one quite successfully, the other, not so much. King K was just thinking about food all the time, leaving hardly any brain space for chess rules and strategy. Looking at the size of his belly now, it's obvious that some things never change.

...

If there were any people in this arena who wanted to see King Black win, there sure aren't anymore. Not shaking your opponent's hand before a duel and even throwing insults at them is not explicitly forbidden, but considered bad form, something this audience doesn't easily excuse.

...

Hey, that's a play King Black tried to fool me with as well! I didn't fall for it of course, and fortunately, neither do Fritz and Bianca. Had they captured Black's queen here, they would have lost the game in two moves.

...

Stay calm, Fritz! I know you're in check, but as long as King Black doesn't add _-mate_ to the end of that, it's absolutely no problem.

...

See? You were able to capture the attacking rook and King Black only got a pawn in return.

...

Suddenly it's dead quiet in the arena. Do Fritz and Bianca see what we in the audience have noticed? The queen move that will immediately end the game?

...

WHITE WINS WITH CHECKMATE! Qa3-f8 and mate. King Black can neither move out of check, nor move a piece between the white queen and his king, nor capture the queen (Black's rook on f7 is pinned to the king by White's bishop on d5). What can I say, never umderestimate children... especially not in chess!

* * *

Some things that happened next

A few days later King and Queen White returned from their holiday. They had already learned about their son's success from the newspaper, but were still very happy and relieved to see Fritz doing well.

King White started coming to the IntelliGym more frequently. It seemed that Fritz' win over King Black had motivated his father to brush up on his own chess skills a bit.

Bianca sent Fritz a postcard from her hometown, stating that her annoying older brother had become much friendlier ever since she'd checkmated him in less than twenty moves.

King Black retreated into his castle to sulk, polish his mouse traps, and make revenge plans. However, that's a story for another time.

-END-


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